Scott Jurek knows a thing or two about digging deep and winning a lot of crazy, challenging races. When he spoke in Indianapolis about his ultra career and record-breaking Appalachian Trail quest (documented in his book, North), the advice that struck me most was this:
Find your secret source of strength.
He had a strong argument: show up for a race on any given day, and everyone else there has put in the time and training. What sets people apart is the ability to tap into something inside that ignites motivation. Even when you’re puking halfway through, as he did at mile 70 of the 2005 Badwater 135, a race he went on to win and set a course record.
Jurek’s talk got me thinking: what’s my secret source?
Sometimes I think it is remembering the unhealthy version of myself before I became a runner. I have dedicated many long runs to how far I’ve come since those days. Sometimes my secret source is the people I lost too early, their memory fueling me along.
Sometimes it comes from a very small place – like a word of encouragement from another runner or the energy from a spectator on the course. Those are the exchanges that can easily slip by, glossed over or unnoticed. There is a magic in that – capturing that fleeting moment and turning it into something more.
I realized for me, it’s not one source, but many. What sparks my energy on one day might be different from what works the next. Think of it as an arsenal of grit. I like this idea, that I’m building up my mental rolodex. That as I keep running, I’ll grow more resilient because my toolkit expands with each passing year.
What’s your secret source?